The Vatican is promoting birth control -- naturally

In his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI strongly reaffirmed his church's traditional opposition to artificial means of birth control. That authoritative teaching left Roman Catholic couples with only two ways to limit the size of their families: 1) use the morally acceptable rhythm method, which was then so unreliable as to justify the sobriquet "Roman roulette"; or 2) follow their consciences rather than papal counsel and adopt such forbidden means of contraception as diaphragms, condoms or the Pill -- which millions did.

Twenty years later, the Vatican's support for Humanae Vitae is as strong as ever, but with a...